My "22 for 2022" List - How did I do?
So this year I managed to complete eleven items on my list, and make progress towards five more. Let's see how I did in a bit more detail:
1. Look after my décolletage. ✅ I have been much more consistent with my Neck & Check Super Lift Serum-Spray, and I have been taking my skincare over my décolletage. I'm pleased to report it seems to be working - success!
2. Use my Koia London voucher. ✅ And it was such a great experience. I really want to go back one day!
3. Watch more Eddie Murphy movies. ✅ Well, I watched two (which is quite a lot of films for me!). I didn't watch The Nutty Professor as planned, but I did watch Beverly Hills Cop and Meet Dave. Both hilarious.
4. Prepare a will. ❌ This one should move across, but I have got to be honest: It does not spark joy, so I am not sure it will.
5. Start a podcast! ✅ It's yet to launch, but two friends and I have recorded five episodes, and now I'm learning all about podcast production (it's surprisingly complicated!).
6. Build in more regular exercise. 🚧 Hmm, let's say "under construction". I've kept up my steps (70+K per week), and I started going to ballet at Pineapple (which is something I failed to to do in 2021). But in 2023 I want to attend ballet once a week, not once a month!
7. Foster/adopt a cat OR go to a cat café. 🚧 Sadly, I didn't even get to a cat café, but... I finally "matched" with a dog on Borrow My Doggie. Bonnie (a Lakeland terrier) and I had our first doggie date in March and we have spent almost every Monday together since. I'll take that as a win!
8. Do the Compulsory Basic Training test. ❌ It's more than two years since my motorbike theory test so it's not looking good for this one. It's going on the backburner.
9. Order an at-home HPV test. ✅ This was a carry-over from 2021 so I am pleased to have finally checked this off my list.
10. Investigate annual health check. 🚧 So right after I wrote up my #22for22 list I got an email from the council with the news that people between 40 and 75 are eligible for a free health check, and that I should get an invitation within five years. So, I guess I just wait for my invitation?
11. Maintain my 2021 reading habit. ✅ I seem to have created a morning reading & coffee habit, which is a great way to start the day. The key to success (for me) is to always have something around that I want to read.
12. Tackle DIY projects. ✅ In 2022 I tackled a number of items on my DIY list: I sanded, and repainted my balcony (with help from a friend), painted my spare room, and hired someone to strip the wallpaper in my bedroom and repaint. I started this job myself, but I actually hate DIY so I called in some help!
13. Incorporate new habits. ❌ I did not do meditation, and I'm not sure I can claim I increased my veg intake, so sadly I cannot mark this as done.
14. Become a magistrate. ❌ Still keen though.
15. Install a CO2 alarm. ❌ This should be an easy one, but I keep putting it off.
16. Visit UK-based friends. ✅ I visited Berwick-upon-Tweed, St Albans, Goring & Streatley, and Edinburgh to meet up with or visit friends. Plus, I went a bit further afield to Paris and Marciac, as not all my UK friends still live in the UK.
17. Find a local winter pub and frequent it! ✅ You know, I don't think I'm a "local" kind of person, but when I wrote this I was craving a cosy evening in a pub. When London was blanketed in proper snow in December last year, I landed up at The Grenadier with a bunch of good friends. There was a fireplace, and it was magical.
18. More team work. ❌ Sadly, nope.
19. Set up writing accountability. ❌ I have found quite a few tools that would be helpful for this (like Focusmate, London Writers' Salon, and Scribe Lounge), but I have not used any of them consistently. Maybe 2023 will be the year!
20. Outdoor trips from London. ✅ Every year I am responsible for signing us up for nut picking (with Food & Forest), which I did again in 2022. In addition, I joined some friends for a fabulous day out swimming in Shepperton Lake, followed by Pub in the Tub. This was in the middle of the UK heatwave so getting to swim twice in one day was a very special treat (and something I would like to repeat)!
21. Get a colour consultation 🌈 I couldn't quite justify the price of a colour consultation in 2022 (but maybe one day!) so I did some research and figured out that I have blue undertones. I tailored my summer wardrobe accordingly, and I have to admit, I think I got more compliments than usual.
22. Declutter. 🚧I made some good progress here, but I am putting off a lot until I have finished decorating my bedroom (because then I'll know how much storage I actually have).
I really like the format of this framework - If you've tried it out let me know in the comments or on Instagram.
Next up I need to write up my "23 in 2023" list.
Natalie x